Free agency in the NBA is essentially over, but trades are still possible. The Dallas Mavericks could strike again, in Cleveland there could soon be a Donovan-Mitchell problem.
Here are the hottest rumors from the past few days.
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NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks Linked to Jaylen Nowell
The Dallas Mavericks still have a vacancy after Portland matched the offer sheet for Matisse Thybulle. Jaylen Nowell, who according to Wolves insider Brian Wolfson (KSTP) will not return to Minnesota, could possibly take that place.
Nowell is on the Mavs’ radar, according to Wolfson, but the guard wants to see what happens to Damian Lillard to keep his options open. The 24-year-old is considered the best remaining guard in the free agency market, but he only had a mediocre season, averaging 10.8 points and 2.6 rebounds while hitting just 29 percent from downtown.
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NBA rumours: Spurs on Evan Fournier?
Evan Fournier doesn’t think he’ll be with the Knicks next season, but his contract (18.8M for 23/24) isn’t that easy to trade as Fournier played no part in the second half of the season. One team that might be interested, according to Ian Begley (SNY), is the San Antonio Spurs, who recently moved Fournier’s compatriot Victor Wembanyama to first place.
The top pick and Fournier have the same agent, the guard could help Wembanyama settle in. In addition, the Spurs would have the financial leeway to pay Fournier for the coming season without much pain. In 2022/23, the Frenchman put up 6.1 points per game in just 27 games with odds of 40.4 percent from two and 30.7 percent from three.
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NBA Rumors: Suns still in McConnell
After Cam Payne’s trade to San Antonio, the Suns still don’t have a classic playmaker in their roster. That should be intercepted by Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but another one for the regular season would be desirable.
According to Marc Stein (Substack), there is still interest in TJ McConnell of the Indiana Pacers, although he would like to stay in Indiana. The 31-year-old will collect $8.7 million next season, with $5 million guaranteed the following year. In 75 games, the point guard averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals.
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NBA rumors: Cavs in a bind over Donovan Mitchell
In theory, Donovan Mitchell could sign an early contract extension at any time, but nothing has happened so far. The All-Star’s deal runs until at least 2025, after which Spida still has a $37.1 million player option, which he won’t pull.
Tim Bontemps (ESPN) recently said the following at The Hoop Collective: “I believe that Cleveland has no chance of Mitchell renewing early. And if it were up to me, I would trade Mitchell immediately.” Tough stuff, but it is also clear that Mitchell did not choose Cleveland last summer and would have preferred to go to his native New York instead.
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NBA rumours: Pelicans want rid of Kira Lewis
In 2020, the Pelicans chose Kira Lewis with the 13th pick, but the guard could never recommend himself, also because of a cruciate ligament injury in his second season. According to Michael Scotto (HoopsHype), Lewis is now a trade candidate because New Orleans is operating dangerously close to the luxury tax limit and allegedly would also like to sign Rudy Gay (37), who was fired by OKC.
The Pels need space for that and ideally a team can be found that takes the 5.7 million from New Orleans that Lewis is still entitled to in the coming season. Lewis only played in 25 games in 2022-23, averaging 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 9.4 minutes.
2023-07-29 10:04:57
#Dallas #Mavericks #mit #Interesse #Jaylen #Nowell
